A significant milestone was reached on the first spring working bee on 7th September 2023 when a selection of Wollemi pines, donated to the Arboretum by the Friends of the Arboretum, were planted in Forest 32.
The trees were the product of a fundraising venture that the Friends of the Arboretum commissioned in early 2020. Two hundred seeds, collected through the Arboretum’s seed collection program, were provided to Yarralumla Nursery where the seeds were germinated and grown for 2 years to generate approximately 130 Arboretum seed-sourced trees.
Each of these iconic trees can be mapped back to their parent tree, with people who purchased one receiving a certificate showing the position of the parent tree in Forest 32.
As well as raising over $11,000 for future Friends projects at the Arboretum, it provided the opportunity through a donation from the Friends, to plant some of these special trees at Government House and at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
The project also provided an opportunity for the scientific study of the trees as they grew and has led to a research paper being published by Dr Roger Hnatiuk ( https://www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT22049 ) in which previously undocumented growth characteristics of Wollemi pines were observed.
We would like to extend thanks to the Friends of the Arboretum for their donation and to all those involved throughout this wonderful project.
